


Liar Liar, Pants on Fire

by MamaBearCat



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/M, Fire, Firefighter Inuyasha, Fluff, Inuyasha doubts himself, Jinenji is a good friend, Jinenji is happy with a true mate!, Kagome is confused, Kouga is a loveable shit, Modern AU, Protective Inuyasha, True Mates, everyone is a neighbor, fire in an apartment, hurt comfort, inukag - Freeform, just the inukag, mirsan if you squint - only a paragraph or too, possible continuation maybe, sexy smooching, slight angst with happy ending, zero love triangles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:21:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28169181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaBearCat/pseuds/MamaBearCat
Summary: Inuyasha thought he had an okay life. He was a member of the Nakano Youkai Rescue Crew, a highly regarded part of the local fire force. He had friends, and he lived in an apartment block where nobody hated him. That was all anyone could expect from life, right?Enter one Higurashi Kagome, his new neighbour. As soon as he met her, his whole concept of his place in the world went topsy turvey. And he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Because surely a hanyou like him couldn't possibly be deserving of a true mate? But apparently her heart and his soul had their own ideas.✨Nominated for BEST ROMANCE FICTION: Feudal Connection Awards, 2021, 1st Quarter✨🌸2ND PLACE, BEST ROMANCE FICTION: Feudal Connection Awards, 2021, 1st Quarter🌸
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 60
Kudos: 121





	Liar Liar, Pants on Fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pinkpigeon22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkpigeon22/gifts).



> A 2020 IYBC Secret Santa gift for Pinkpigeon! I'm so glad you enjoyed it lovely, and gave me permission to post it as soon as you'd finished! So here it is, a drabble that grew legs and ran a marathon!

The first time it happened, Inuyasha didn’t have to do anything.

It was late in the afternoon on a Monday, approaching sunset, but the high pitched wail of a smoke alarm woke him from a sound sleep immediately. His heart pounded and all his senses were immediately on alert, because that was part of his job. Even though he wasn’t working right now. Even though he was in his own apartment, in his own bed, snuggled under a quilt to keep out the late December chill.

When he’d focused enough he realised that the noise wasn’t coming from his own apartment, but next door. He just remembered, he had a new neighbour. Sango had told him her friend was going to be moving in yesterday, but he’d been at work.

He couldn’t smell anything amiss, and then he heard an unfamiliar female voice muttering a colourful mixture of words he’d be proud to own up to, followed by a loud noise which he could only assume was her bashing at the stridently screeching smoke alarm with a broom handle. He’d shoved a pillow over his ears and gone back to sleep after muttering a few irritated grumbles and swear words of his own, aimed at no one in particular.

He understood that the rest of the world didn’t have to stop just because he’d just worked a 24 hour shift. That didn’t mean he had to like it though. He had the rest of the day to relax before he was rostered back on again. There were a few crew members down with the flu that was going around and they’d all taken on extra shifts to ensure public safety. He hoped that alarm wasn’t gonna be a recurring problem.

🔥❤🔥

“Alright, good work today crew, first drinks are on me”, called out Kouga, standing up as everyone filed past his desk towards the showers. “That includes you Inuyasha.” Kouga’s hand slapped down hard on Inuyasha’s shoulder. “I happen to know you ain’t got shit planned, dog, so don’t think you can get out of it this time. You too Jinenji. It’s gonna be a good night.”

He felt Jinenji cringe next to him, the scent of the big horse hanyou’s discomfiture hard to miss. Jinenji was probably the only being on the team that hated going out drinking worse than Inuyasha did, partially due to the difficulty of finding a place to accommodate his large size, but especially now that he was in a relationship. It was blatantly obvious he would prefer to go straight home.

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, but he knew there was no use resisting. Kouga was a loudmouth who’d just keep browbeating him until he went. They’d been on a team together since he’d joined the Nakano Youkai Rescue Crew around twenty years ago, and they had a weird kind of friendship where they teased each other mercilessly and often played practical jokes on each other. But in a dangerous situation where lives were on the line, there was no one else he’d rather have standing beside him than Kouga, unless it was Jinenji.

Technically Kouga was his supervisor right now, but only for this shift – the youkai with the most dominant youki took charge of the rotating five youkai crew at each shift change. It was an interesting dynamic, but one that worked for the youkai crew, even though he knew the human crews did things differently. And more often than not, it was the five of them rostered on together – Inuyasha, Jinenji, Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku. Because they worked well together, and they got shit done.

It had been an almost trouble free shift until the last few hours. An emergency rescue callout. A semi-trailer had lost control on an overpass and gone over the edge, smashing into a small family car as it went. There had been no hope for the driver of the semi, who had died on impact. The car had also been totalled, and when they arrived, it had been balanced precariously on the edge of the concrete bridge, the wreckage so twisted it was impossible to tell the make and model of the vehicle. But miraculously the human family within were still alive.

Inuyasha and Jinenji had quickly donned harness and vaulted over the side of the bridge, using their strength to support the wreckage as it teetered on the edge in the high winds, three quarters of the car hanging in mid-air with only the back axle preventing it from plummeting straight down and meeting the same fate as the semi-trailer that had crashed into it. Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku coordinated to make the wreck as secure as possible with ropes and pulleys, the bad weather making their difficult job even more dangerous.

The mother was barely conscious with a head wound, her only response to Inuyasha’s questions pain filled moans. She was the most seriously injured, her body trapped between the crushed roof of the car and the steering wheel, hanging by her seatbelt with a 100 foot drop yawning beneath her dangling feet where the floor of the vehicle had twisted away. Her two children in the back seat had been terrified, both scratched and bruised, calling out for their mother frantically. Thankfully they’d been mostly protected by their carseats.

As soon as the car was tethered enough to give them some breathing space, Inuyasha secured a harness around the mother, his sensitive nose working overtime to detect any spark that might cause the leaking fuel catch on fire. Jinenji had shouldered the bulk of the wreckage as Inuyasha worked with his claws to prise open the top of the car like a tin of sardines, moving carefully to not create any sparks. Jinenji spoke softly to comfort the children in the back seat as they whimpered at the sound of screeching metal, asking them questions about daycare and school, telling them about the sunflowers he was planning to grow on his balcony as soon as winter was over, praising how brave they were.

Once Inuyasha had created enough of a gap in the roof to safely access the back seat, Jinenji removed his shoulder from underneath the chassis carefully and slowly eased both car seats containing the children out, passing them both over to the waiting ambulance crew. As soon as he’d got them both safely over the barricade, the car had shifted, the ropes unable to hold any longer in the high wind. With a warning shout from Kouga, Inuyasha had just enough time to grab the woman’s harness and lift her bodily out of the small hole he’d created above her, swinging them both safely off to one side before the car had dropped like a stone, landing on the wreckage of the tanker below.

After the ambulances had left, another crew had turned up to take over clean up at the site and assist police with traffic management. The Nakano Youkai Rescue Crew had returned to the station to reset the rescue truck and then fill out the reports, the part of the job Inuyasha liked the least. Fucking paperwork. Thankfully, they’d had news just as the shift had ended that the family would be fine. The woman had two broken legs and concussion, but no internal injuries, the children badly frightened but only minor scrapes and bruising. Jinenji was already filling out Bravery Award Certificates for the kids, which he often presented when small children remained calm in a dangerous situation.

Kouga followed them into the showers, clapping his hands together.

“C’mon ladies, pick up the pace! I got a bottle of shouchu at Flows Grill and Bar with my name on it!”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he undressed for the shower. He’d been eager to get home and stretch out on his futon with his laptop to catch up on some shows before getting a well earned rest – his shoulder was still aching from the weird angle he’d had to stretch to get the woman safely out of the car. But now he would have to sit through a trip to the bar with Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku. Those guys never knew when it was time to quit.

“We’ll leave as soon as we can, alright”, he whispered to Jinenji, who nodded fervently, calling his mate to advise her that he’d be late and would be home as soon as he could.

Together they scrubbed down and rinsed, then donned civilain clothes from their lockers. They’d been good friends since they were both small, even before Inuyasha’s parents had died in the Great Kanto Earthquake when he was still only a pup.

Even though he’d been taken in by his half brother’s family, because that was the expected thing in polite youkai society, it had only been for appearance’s sake. He’d never been close to his half brother or his step mother, and he’d practically lived at Jinenji’s place. Jinenji’s mother was strict, but a lot more caring than Inukimi. And at that time, they were each the only other hanyou they knew of – it made sense for them to stick together and help each other out. And it looked like they’d be needing to stick together tonight as well.

🔥❤🔥

It was late, and they were all sipping whisky and waiting for food in the almost deserted beer garden at the Flows Bar at Nakano Central Park, not far from the fire station. Most of the human patrons had given the beer garden a miss due to the chilly December weather, but being youkai, they weren’t as bothered by the chill. There was also room enough out here for Jinenji’s bulk, which would have been problematic inside the small bar. The cluster of empty bottles on the table were evidence of how the night had been going so far.

“Al-righty”, slurred Kouga, grimacing after downing another large gulp of shouchu. “I got some oseibo gifts for ya’s all.”

“But you’ve already given us a gift boss”, protested Ginta, blinking at Hakkaku blearily with a puzzled expression, who shrugged. He looked back to Kouga. “You gave us all got Ohishi whisky, remember? We exchanged gifts last shift.”

“I _know_ ”, Kouga winked, grinning toothily. “Don’ worry, don’ worry, just a little somethin’ extra. An’ they’re not expensive, it’s the thought that countsh right? I put a lotta thought into these gifts, they’re _special_.”

Inuyasha groaned, dropping his head onto the table next to his own half full glass of shouchu. He’d been pacing himself so that he and Jinenji could make a quick getaway when an opportunity presented itself, but now he wished he hadn’t and was as sloshed as the three wolf youkai. God knows what the bastard was hiding in that bag that he’d been carrying around all evening. 

“Firs’, for my favourite Ōkamiyoukai couple, apart from Ayame and m’self o’course, a li’l somethin’ for you two. You got tha’ trip to Sapporo planned for Golden Week, right? Enjoy boys.” Ginta and Hakkaku both bowed their heads in thanks, and Ginta reached for the gift bag to open it.

“Maybe don’t open it at the table”, Kouga winked roguishly, his fangs glinting under the blinking lights of the Christmas decorations across the street. Hakkaku peeked into the bag and made a weird high pitched noise that sounded like a whimper and a giggle combined, and Ginta hastily put the gift down on the seat beside him.

“Uh, thanks boss.”

“No problem. You’re good guys. Both a you are _good guys_.”

Ginta nudged Kouga on the shoulder with his own, teary eyed, and Hakkaku reached out to pat Kouga’s hand. The wolves seemed to be reaching the sentimental stage of intoxication, and Inuyasha realised belatedly that his escape route was currently blocked by Kouga and the boys. He’d stupidly let himself and Jinenji get backed into a corner.

The only way out was over the table and through groups of people who were probably on their way to see the Christmas lights in nearby Shibuya. _He_ could probably do it, but Jinenji would crush the table and scatter the humans like bowling pins. He thought momentarily about taking off alone, and then felt ashamed that he’d even considered it. He couldn’t throw his friend under a bus like that. Fucking hell.

“Jinenji!” Kouga bellowed, slapping the big horse hanyou on his arm. “Our big man, our Sensha!”

“Yes?”

Jinenji flinched nervously, his huge knees nearly overturning the table. His large blue eyes glanced everywhere but Kouga, who either failed to notice or totally ignored his team member’s consternation, and continued to slap him on the arm affectionately. Inuyasha snorted; no doubt Jinenji had just come to the same realisation he had a few moments ago - they were trapped, and would have to stay put for whatever Kouga had planned.

Jinenji was one of the shyest beings he knew, either human or youkai. Socially he was pretty much a quivering mess, but put him in front of a fire where someone’s life hung in the balance, and he was fearless. He’d earned the nickname ‘Sensha’ fairly early on, his size comparison to a battle tank easy enough to make.

Kouga often paired them as part of the early responder team, Jinenji using his horse youkai strength to move rubble where situations where too risky for humans, while Inuyasha used his heightened senses to track down the injured and scent toxic gases and fumes that had no scent to humans and youkai without a highly developed sense of smell. They made a good team. And since he’d mated Hana, Jinenji was happier than Inuyasha had ever known him to be. Inuyasha vowed to get him out of here and safely back home to her as soon as possible.

“Ayame and I were so happy when we realised you’d found your mate. So happy! Ya did good buddy!” Kouga’s eyes were glistening and earnest, and Jinenji gulped uncomfortably and nodded. “I wanna give you somethin’ cause I know your one year anniversary is comin’ up. Ayame likes this stuff, so maybe your mate will too.”

Jinenji gingerly reached out for the small gift bag Kouga held out as if it would explode in his face. He reached inside and pulled out a long thin box between two of his huge fingers. Inuyasha had just enough time to read the words ‘Warming Strawberry Massage Gourmet Oil’ before Jinenji shoved the box and the bag into the pocket of his huge vest, safely out of view.

“Thank you Kouga”, he squeaked, the red tone of his face almost matching the Christmas baubles hanging on the tree behind him.

“Finally Inuyasha. Our Dog dude. The D man with a sniffer, our lone dog, las’ bachelor on the team”, Kouga hiccuped.

“Yes?” Inuyasha grunted, praying whatever Kouga had in store for him would be easily hidden on the train ride home. If it wasn’t, he’d just go over the roof tops to save himself the embarrassment.

“A li’l birdie tol’ me that you got yourself a new neighbour, now that your friend moved out and shacked up with some guy. A new _fe-male_ neighbour.” Kouga leaned forward and tapped the side of his nose with his forefinger, then clumsily slid a wrapped package towards him. “Gotta make a good impression on the ladies my man. So I got ya a little somethin’ new to wear.”

Inuyasha glared at the cheerfully wrapped package in front of him. He knew there was no way to escape without opening it. And deep down, he liked Kouga. The guy was loud and abrasive, but he really cared about his team and had their backs every time they went out on a call. And after Inuyasha and Jinenji had proven themselves, Kouga had never used their hanyou status to stop the advancement of their careers, as others might have done. So he decided to get it over with quickly, like tearing off a bandaid. After a quick slice of his claws, the gift was visible to everyone at the table. Nestled in the torn paper was a pair of obnoxiously yellow boxer shorts, decorated in a pattern of flames and red chilies.

“There ya go. Now when she sees you in ‘em she’ll know you’re a hot dog. A Hot Dog. Get it?” Kouga sniggered at his joke as Inuyasha blinked slowly at him, his former charitable thoughts regarding the wolf forgotten.

“Thanks Kouga. You really, really shouldn’t have.” Kouga howled with laughter, and the other wolves joined in. “Fuckin’ Ōkami! Right, that’s it, I’m out dipshits. You comin’ Jinenji?”

🔥❤🔥

The second time it happened was a Saturday, the day after the boxer incident, and the first weekend day he’d had off in a month.

When he’d woken up and stumbled into his kitchen area to make breakfast, his mouth dry and disgusting and stomach grumbling after his late night at the bar, he’d realised there was absolutely nothing edible in there. Rather than shuffling downstairs to the 7-11 on auto pilot, which was what he usually did, he’d made the effort to walk the couple of blocks to Seiyu Supermarket to actually do grocery shopping, pausing only to refuel in the food court with a coffee and a bacon and cheese okonomiyaki.

Thankfully it hadn’t taken too long, and he was half way up the stair well with his fists full of grocery bags when the loud screech of the smoke alarm began, the high pitched wail echoing around the empty space and making him grit his teeth. If he wasn’t awake before, he definitely was now.

Inuyasha could tell the sound was coming from his new neighbour’s apartment again, and he mentally debated leaping up the two flights of stairs to check it out, sniffing the air to see if he could smell anything amiss. He glanced down at his overflowing shopping bags with two cartons of eggs precariously balanced, wondering if they’d survive the trip. But before he’d made a decision, the alarm had stopped.

Climbing up the stairs in a more regular fashion, his ears still flattened a little as they recovered from the intrusive sound, he wondered if she was just an atrocious cook. He couldn’t really smell anything burning though, and his sensitive nose was attuned to any kind of smoke residue. But that was twice she’d set off the alarm in the same week, and that was only when he’d been home to hear it. Had it gone off more than that? Maybe there was something wrong with it. Sango had never set it off once in the three years she’d lived in the apartment next door.

He still hadn’t met his new neighbour. He’d been on call at the station the Sunday she’d moved in and had almost back to back shifts every day after that, and there had been no other opportunity as yet. He thought guiltily of his promise to Sango to make her friend welcome. She’d called and told him all about her, but he had a feeling he may have zoned out a bit. He could remember that Sango had gone to high school with her, that she’d recently moved to Tokyo from Yamanashi Prefecture where her family had a shrine. And she was a teacher, maybe?

He loathed introducing himself to strangers in social settings. Work was fine, because that was work, and he knew what was expected of him. Normally he wouldn’t bother, but she was Sango’s friend. And he was Sango’s friend, so they already had that in common. Besides, he’d promised Sango and she was usually a pretty good judge of character. Apart from Miroku of course, but he’d worn down her defenses just like he had Inuyasha’s, so he couldn’t really hold that against her. And if Sango found out that he hadn’t made an effort, she’d probably twist his ear. That woman had a ferocious temper.

Decision made, he dumped his groceries in front of his own door before he could chicken out. The excuse of needing to get back to them to put the meat in the freezer also gave him a viable excuse to retreat with honour if things went sour. Just a quick visit. Hardly any talking. He’d just introduce himself, make sure she was okay, then go back into the safety of his apartment.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the doorway at the end of the hall. The door burst open on his second knock, revealing a small woman dressed in leggings and fluffy socks and an oversized woollen jumper which hung off one delicate shoulder, her dark hair piled up in a scruffy top knot with a pen stuck in it. A sweet scent wafted up towards his nose – it was pleasant, calming, and immediately helped settle the nerves he had about meeting someone new.

“I’m so sorry-“ she began, her eyes focused forwards at his chest height, then tilting her head back to take all of him in, her grey blue eyes widening in surprise. “Wow, you’re _tall_!” Her eyes flicked up even further, taking in the pointed dog ears on top of his head, and then lowered a little to focus back on his face. “Uh, I mean-“

“Now there’s somethin’ I haven’t heard before”, he muttered with a slight chuckle, leaning against the door frame and rolling his eyes a little at her comment about his height. Yes, he was tall, but only by human standards. He wasn’t even the tallest in his unit, Kouga was a smidge taller, and Jinenji towered over both of them by at least three feet. He didn’t understand why humans felt the need to comment on it when they first met him, as if they were informing him of something he’d failed to notice.

“Uh, sorry”, the small woman said, a slight blush rising in her cheeks, her hand still resting on the door knob. “Um, you’re probably here to complain about the fire alarm?” He shrugged and she sighed. “I’m so sorry, I’ve told management about it, and they said it’s probably a loose wire or something. It keeps going off at random times for no reason at all. I’ve been knocking on doors to apologise and explain, I guess I haven’t got to yours yet?”

Inuyasha’s ears twitched. Now that she’d opened her door, he realised he could still hear the alarm, but the sound was muffled.

“What did you do to it?” he asked, his ears twitching as he tried to work out where the sound was coming from. It sounded like it was coming from the bathroom.

The woman blushed again.

“I hit it a bit too hard with the broom handle when I was trying to shut it up and it came off the ceiling. But the battery is still in it, and the screws are too tight to get undone, and it was hurting my ears so I put it at the bottom of my laundry basket under all my washing.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Now that’s one I haven’t heard before. Do you want me to come in and take a look at it?”

The woman blinked at him, taking a small shuffling step backwards towards the edge of the hard flooring that designated the genkan space in her apartment, her hand tightening on the door knob.

“Um…”

The reason for her hesitance suddenly clicked. She had no idea who he was, and probably wasn’t about to let a total stranger into her house to look at a malfunctioning smoke alarm unless he was a hired professional that she was expecting. Especially not a youkai. Well hanyou, but she probably didn’t know that. He lowered his head in an informal greeting.

“Hi, I’m Takahashi, your neighbour from apartment 302. Nice to meet you. Sango told me you were moving in, but I took on a few extra shifts this week and haven’t been around.”

The woman let go of the door knob and bowed forward also, her glossy hair sliding off her shoulders to hang down in a dark curtain around her face, and another waft of that sweet scent surrounded Inuyasha. For some reason, it made him feel welcomed and wanted, and he had to stop himself from bending forward to inhale deeply. She stood up again, a wide smile breaking out on her face.

“I’m Higurashi, nice to meet you Takahashi-san. I’m so sorry to have missed you – I did knock on your door, but you’ve just explained why you weren’t there. I hope we can be good neighbours. Sango-chan told me a little bit about you. You’re a fire fighter right, in the youkai rescue team?”

“Yup.”

“And because your apartment is right next to mine, my alarm has probably been waking you up after you’ve been out saving people”, she sighed, a small frown on her face, worry muddying that sweet scent. “I’m so sorry.” She bowed again, a little lower this time.

Trying to put her at ease, her comforting scent giving him a burst of confidence, he grinned at her.

“It’s alright, didn’t bother me that much. I was wondering if you were just a terrible cook”, he teased.

“Hey!” Her frown deepened as she straightened up, and she pouted, her bottom lip thrust out as she crossed her arms. “Sango also warned me you could be a rude jerk. And here I was thinking I should come introduce myself and bring you something I’d cooked especially, because you were Sango’s friend. Looks like you’re gonna miss out now buddy!”

“Uh…”

Shit, had he overdone it? This is why he didn’t like mixing with people he didn’t know outside work without the buffer of other humans, namely Sango or Miroku – he was terrible at reading human social cues.

All of a sudden her frown disappeared, and she giggled, her small hand coming up to hide her smile, and he relaxed, his relief leaving him in a deep sigh. She had been teasing him too. Mischievous little wench.

Still smiling, she gestured for him to come in and he closed the door behind him, sliding off his shoes and placing them neatly on the floor next to the assortment of hers on a small set of shelves in the genkan.

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to get the battery out either Takahashi-san. I think I’ve stripped the screw trying to loosen the casing”, she said, opening a door at the end of the narrow hallway leading off the genkan and into the lounge dining area. “Please, make yourself at home, I’ll just go and get the alarm.”

He stood in the centre of the small space, his eyes taking in the changes to the space since Sango had moved out. It looked a lot different. Before it had been quite minimalistic, apart from the antique weapons and scrolls belonging to her family’s dojo that Sango had kept hanging on the wall. Like himself, Sango had only had a chabudai and cushions in the lounge dining area, along with a small bookcase and tv, liking it to be uncluttered.

But now the space was transformed, with bookcases along one wall, containing not only books, but plants, candles and photos. Photos and postcards were stuck to the wall, and the small kitchen area was stuffed to the brim, extra shelves over the sink containing a lot of food and pantry items. It gave the impression of cheerful chaos, and that his new neighbour really liked to cook.

Underneath the window where Sango’s chabudai had once been, there was now a kotatsu, currently covered in chidren’s picture books and handwritten notes, surrounded by a small L-shaped floor sofa. The overstuffed green fabric was covered in small claw marks, giving him a sizeable hint that Higurashi had a feline flatmate.

If that wasn’t evidence enough, he could see two small dishes on the floor in the kitchen area, along with a smell he was familiar with, slightly different to Sango’s nekomata Kirara, but similar enough. He wasn’t surprised at all when an overweight calico cat crawled out from underneath the quilt of the kotatsu and circled his ankles in greeting.

“Hey cat.”

He bent down to stroke the cat’s head gently, scratching behind one brown ear, and the feline purred in delight, rubbing against his legs.

The sound of the alarm had gradually been increasing, no doubt as Higurashi lifted layers of clothing off its position at the bottom of her dirty laundry basket. Now it was at full volume, and the cat looked towards the open door leading to the hallway in panic, and fled back to his original hiding place under the kotatsu, scooting under the quilt. Inuyasha flattened his ears against his head.

“Sorry Buyo”, Higurashi said, her voice barely discernable over the high pitched screech of the alarm she held in her hands gingerly, along with a screw driver. “Here, see if you can get it to shut up.”

Ignoring the screw driver, Inuyasha took the alarm from her, turning it over, and deftly used his claws to undo the screws, his ears flattened against his hair to try and muffle the sound. He gently pulled out the battery and they both sighed in relief at the sudden silence.

Inuyasha looked up at the wires hanging from the centre of Higurashi’s ceiling where she’d accidentally knocked the alarm down. Her alarm was like his, connected to the mains power with a battery back up, so he couldn’t just fix it for her himself. But the thought of her not having a working alarm concerned him. He knew exactly how quickly a fire could spread in a home, the synthetic fibres fuelling the flames and creating toxic gases. It took only minutes, and many people never woke up in time. He’d only just met the girl, but the thought of something happening to her made his gut clench.

“You’re gonna need to get a new one Higurashi-san. It’s dangerous to not have a smoke alarm”, he said.

“I have told them about it. And they said that they’ve contacted the company that checks them, but they’re a bit short staffed at the moment. I’m on the list, but they said they can’t come and fix it until after New Year.”

“Just buy a cheap battery operated one for now, until they come and fix it”, he suggested, handing the smoke alarm and battery back to her.

“That’s a good idea!” Higurashi said, smiling up at him. “Thank you for your help Takahashi-san, I know I never would have been able to get the cover off, and it would have just stayed in the basket and annoyed everyone until it ran out of battery.”

He smiled back. He didn’t usually smile at beings he didn’t know well, but she was kinda cute, his new neighbour, with her welcoming scent, wavy black hair spilling down her back, and grey blue eyes which were currently crinkled up as she grinned up at him. He almost wished he had an excuse to stay and get to know her better, but he was getting ahead of himself here. He didn’t know anything about her, and she didn’t know anything about him. It would be _weird_ to stay. He needed to stick with his original plan.

“Uh, I gotta go, I got groceries in the hallway, and there’s frozen stuff…”, he said, suddenly feeling a little awkward.

“Oh of course!” Higurashi said, her voice warm and understanding. “Thank you for stopping by. It was so nice to meet you! I’ll let Sango know – she said she was going to find out when you were free so we could all go out sometime, so maybe I’ll see you around?” Her voice sounded hopeful, and it threw him a little.

“Yeah. Uh… Yeah.” He backed towards the door to the hallway, nearly tripping over Higurashi’s cat as it tried to circle his ankles again.

“Buyo!” she scolded, stepping forwards and bending down near his feet to pick her cat up, and he got another waft of that sweet scent, tickling his nose. He wanted to move even closer to her.

A sudden mental image hit him out of nowhere, the picture crystal clear. How good it would feel to burrow his nose into her hair, breathe in more of that delectable scent, then tug on those dark waves to tilt her head back, exposing the curve of her pale throat. What sound would she make if he dipped his head to slide his tongue up her throat, run his fingers through that long dark waterfall behind her? Would she keen for him? Would she whimper? Would she moan?

Youki surged through his veins like a burst of adrenaline, speeding his pulse, lengthening his fangs slightly. What the fuck was going on?! He hadn’t felt anything like this since he was a teenager, coping with a growth spurt. He fought to control it, clenching his fists, feeling a sting in his palms as his lengthening claws pierced the skin slightly. Shit. He had to get out of here.

“Takahashi-san?”

She was looking at him, wide eyed, Buyo cuddled close to her chest. Her expression was a little puzzled, her scent worried. She took a step towards him. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought her sweet intoxicating scent was reaching out to him like a physical hand, beckoning him closer. And was that - fuck she had _reiki_ , but he didn’t feel threatened by it all. It was muted, like she was holding herself back, but there were tentative tendrils of it stroking against his youki, as if it were trying to comfort him, and it felt so indescribably _good_. Inuyasha swayed towards her for a moment, then shook his head.

“Uh, sorry, feeling a little tired all of a sudden. All those extra shifts. Guess my busy week is catching up on me.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

The concern on her face was clear, and her scent billowed around him, as if trying to enclose him in a gentle hug that he didn’t want to resist. If he didn’t get out of here soon he wouldn’t be able to. Either that or he was gonna drip blood from his palms on her floor.

“Uh yeah, I’m good.” Fuck, he sounded anything but, his voice was shaking. “Gonna go take a nap I guess. Bye Higurashi.”

He moved back into her hallway, barely shuffled his feet into his shoes as he beat a hasty retreat, moving back to the safety of his own front door, pushing his key into the lock and picking up his bags of groceries, thankful that his palms had already healed so she wouldn’t be able to see blood dripping. He kept his fists closed anyway, just in case she noticed anything.

“Bye Takahashi-san. I hope you’re feeling better soon!”

She gave him a friendly wave from her own doorway, but her expression was still worried. Turning his head away from her with an effort, Inuyasha opened his door and stepped inside, closing the door firmly behind him. He took a moment to lean on the wall, breathing in and out slowly.

Dumping his groceries in the kitchen, he rinsed his hands and face in the sink, then quickly put away his cold and frozen items, leaving the rest in the bags on the floor. That could wait until later. He dug his phone out of his back pocket, and made a call, running his clawed fingers haphazardly through his choppy fringe as he waited for his friend to pick up.

“Hey Jinenji, you up man? Yeah, I know we were out late. I’m sorry to wake you, but I got kind of a situation, and you’re the only one I can ask who might know what the fuck’s goin’ on. Can I come over? I’ll bring whatever you wanna eat, my treat.” He scribbled down Jinenji’s order on the notepad on his fridge, then shoved the paper in his pocket. “Thanks Jinenji, I’ll be there soon.”

🔥❤🔥

Jinenji slurped down his last mouthful of soba noodles, then looked Inuyasha square in the eye. Inuyasha was looking kind of frazzled, his usual neat braid of long silver hair coming a little loose because he’d kept running his hands through his fringe while he told his story. To Jinenji it was patently obvious, because the same thing had happened to him only a year ago. But he wasn’t sure how Inuyasha would take it. In some ways, Inuyasha was even more closed off than he’d been himself.

“So, you really want to know why her scent caused that surge in your youki?” he asked cautiously, eyeing the inuhanyou sitting across from him on his sofa.

“Why the fuck do ya think I came over here? No offense man, but it wasn’t really a social call.”

Jinenji sighed. Inuyasha wasn’t the type to ‘chat’ about things. It was better to just say it.

“She’s your true mate.”

Inuyasha leapt to his feet, almost knocking the remains of their meal flying. Jinenji steadied the table with his huge fist.

“Are you fucking with me?”

Jinenji looked at him seriously.

“I would never do that. I felt the same with Hana, when I found her last year at the New Year’s market. She walked past me in the crowd, and I had to follow her. It was like her scent was pulling me along, making sure I didn’t lose her.”

“But it’s fucking insane.” Inuyasha paced up and down the small amount of space available to him in Jinenji’s living area. “I don’t even know this girl. And she’s human, a friend of Sango’s. My neighbour.”

“Then you have it better than I did. I didn’t have any excuse at all to get to know Hana, until I worked out that her family owned a soba noodle shop in Yurakucho.” He grinned. “Then I became their best customer.”

Jinenji’s expression softened as he took in Inuyasha’s frantic demeanour. “It’s quite possible that she has some sort of youkai ancestry. We found out that that there was an old family story on Hana’s mother’s side of someone marrying a kitsune. No one had ever really given it much credence until now. Hana has some youki of her own – only a small amount, granted, but enough to be able to make a soul connection. So your girl’s family may have something similar if she seems human. Either that, or she has some sort of spiritual power.”

Inuyasha breathed out slowly.

“Higurashi does have reiki. She was holdin’ it back for some reason, but yeah. She comes from a shrine family.”

“Youki and reiki are very similar in some ways, and a powerful spiritualist will live a lot longer than a regular human.” Inuyasha groaned.

“But what is that, compared to the life of a youkai? Even a hanyou will live hundreds of years longer than a human. She looks like she’s in her twenties, I’m probably already more than four times her age. How is that fair? And I probably won’t look much different by the time she’s old enough to…”

He couldn’t even say it. Inuyasha wished he’d been able to ask his parents these questions, his human mother and inuyoukai father, but their lives had been taken when he was only a pup. Snuffed out, buried under tonnes of rubble and water, a fate that not even his father, a powerful youkai, had been able to survive.

Sometimes… only rarely now, but sometimes he had wished he’d been with them on that day instead of being left in the care of his step-mother so he could ‘play’ with his half-brother. His father had wanted them to get on. But Sesshoumaru was definitely his mother’s son. The only sort of playing they had ever done was the older inuyoukai taunting him to see how long it took to make him cry.

“If she’s your true mate, and from what you’ve told me, I’m pretty sure she is, you’ll be able to tie her life to yours. She will gain your lifespan”, Jinenji said soothingly, then blushed, his cheeks almost glowing, and Inuyasha gaped at him. “I have tied Hana’s life to mine. There is an extra step to take in the ceremony. If… if you need me to, I can tell you how it’s done, but it’s kind of… private.”

“If it comes to that, I’ll let you know.” Inuyasha sighed, looking at his giant of a friend, still nearly as tall as him while sitting down, the deep red of the blush on his cheeks in high contrast with his bright overly large blue eyes. “Listen, is there some kinda, I don’t know, a test? To know if what you’re suggesting is true?”

“She will be drawn to you as much as you are to her. Don’t be surprised if she turns up on your doorstep with food. Hana used to bring me soba noodles because she worried I might be hungry after being out on a rescue call. If she’s yours, she will care for you and feel the pull just as much as you do.”

“That wasn’t exactly what I meant, but thanks.” Inuyasha looked up at the clock. “Listen, I better get goin’, I don’t wanna intrude, and I know your mate will be home from work soon.”

“A visit from you is never an intrusion, but alright. I’ll see you at work on Thursday? And please let me know how things progress.” Jinenji’s voice was soft but happy. “I want you to be as content as Hana and I are.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the slightly sappy statement but nodded.

“See you Thursday.”

🔥❤🔥

“Inuyasha-kun, shy? He’s a bit of an introvert, and he’s socially clueless, but he’s probably the least shy person I’ve ever known!” Sango’s laughter echoed down the phone connection, and Kagome sighed.

“Oh, okay”, she said in a small voice.

She slumped down on her low sofa, sliding her feet under the quilt of the kotatsu, feeling the relief of the heat warming her chilled toes. It had been raining most of the day, and the chill December wind had managed to find it’s way underneath her red puffer jacket as she’d carried her groceries home after work. And then one of her socks had got soaked when she’d stepped in a puddle crossing a busy street, the previously unnoticed hole in her rain boot an unpleasant surprise. 

Sango made a slight growling noise.

“I know that tone. What did he do? I did warn you that he has absolutely no brain to mouth filter didn’t I? Did he do something to make you unhappy Kagome-chan? Because if he did, I’ll twist his ears for you!”

“You leave his ears alone! He didn’t do anything bad Sango-chan! He was kind and helpful. It’s just… he left really suddenly, like he was trying to get away from me. He said he was tired, and he had to go, but I _know_ it was something else. Something big. Do you think… could it be because of my reiki? I had it pulled in tight as soon as I sensed it was a youkai at the door because I didn’t want to be impolite or make any of my neighbours uneasy. Do you think he wouldn’t like me, if he could sense it?”

She’d helped out at her family shrine all through high school and university, right up until she’d managed to find a full time teaching position. Kagome had never taken the time to hone her latent abilities, knowing that teaching was her true calling, and that Souta had an interest in taking over the family Shrine from Grandpa when he retired. She only went back there now to help when they were especially busy on festival days – her miko outfit was currently at the dry cleaners, to be ready for the New Year.

“I don’t think that would make a difference to him. It’s not like you tried to purify him or anything, did you?”

“No!”

“Then he wouldn’t have cared. His best human friend’s father is a Buddhist monk, and even considered it as a career himself at one point. But we all know Miroku does not have the temperament to be a man of the cloth.” Kagome snorted in agreement.

“Okay. It’s just…” She hesitated, unsure about admitting her feelings out loud.

“You just?” prompted Sango gently. Kagome took a deep breath.

“I know I only just met him but it felt like there was almost a… connection? I know that sounds weird Sango-chan, but I can’t think of any other way to explain it. I kinda wanted him to stay.”

“Already?!”

“What do you mean, already?”

“Um, nothing, nothing. So you _like_ our dog boy huh?”

“Sango-chan, I think I do.”

Kagome smiled, picturing the way Takahashi-san had looked as she’d opened the door, lazily leaning against the door frame. His long silver hair had been caught back in a braid, but flipped forwards over his shoulder so it dangled down over his chest, and the black t-shirt he’d been wearing, although loose and baggy, hadn’t hidden his broad shoulders or muscular arms. And the way those cute dog ears had twitched when he’d been trying to pinpoint where she’d put the malfunctioning alarm – it had taken everything in her not to stand up on tippy toe and brush her fingers against them, to see if they were as soft as they looked.

She’d been able to tell he was nervous, as soon as she’d opened the door, and that was why she’d decided to keep her reiki pulled in. Even after she’d first spoken to him, she could feel his uneasiness, despite his relaxed body language, and she’d wanted to make him smile, make him feel comfortable in her home, even more so when she’d realised he was Sango’s friend.

His youki had felt warm and friendly, if a bit skittish. But there had been a moment when she’d been bent over, close to him, where it felt like it was reaching out to her, softly stroking down her hair and throat, almost like warm gentle fingers. But then it was yanked away. And that moment when she’d felt him pull back, it had almost _hurt_.

It was ridiculous really, she hardly knew him. She had absolutely no idea what was going on. But she’d never felt like this before, and there was no way she wasn’t going to follow this feeling and see where it might lead. If Takahashi-san felt the same, it might end up taking them both somewhere wonderful.

“Oh, this is such good news! I think you two would be so good together!” Sango squealed excitedly, and then her voice became more serious. “Okay, lemme give you a heads up. Inuyasha-kun is a bit of a hard nut to crack; you’ve just got to approach him the right way.”

“What should I do Sango-chan?”

Sango hummed in thought.

“They say a way to a man’s heart is his stomach, and he’s no exception. He’s not big on sweet stuff, and he hates anything flavoured with curry or chili with a passion, but if you made him something savoury, let’s say your Mama’s famous tonkotsu ramen for instance…”

Kagome smiled. No one could resist Mama’s recipe. It took a bit of effort, because to make the tonkotsu base you had to simmer the pig trotters, pork leg bone and chicken carcass for hours, but there was nothing more warming to the heart than a hot bowl of ramen that had been made with care.

“I’ll buy the ingredients next time I do the shopping. Thank you Sango-chan. Thank you very much!”

Sango hung up her phone, then leaned back against her fiance who was sitting behind her on the sofa.

“Told you they’d be a good match”, she said smugly. “I don’t think they’re gonna need our help at all.”

Miroku put down his book and leaned forward to place an open mouthed kiss on the side of her neck.

“I bow before your superior match making skills my beloved, but I think we should still be cautious. You know what Inuyasha’s like – give the guy enough rope and he’s sure to hang himself. We should be ready to support them both should anything go wrong.”

“Kagome-chan likes him already. She’ll be good for him.”

“And I’m sure Inuyasha will be good for her, once she knocks that chip off his shoulder. I just know if he lets the right person in, he would make a loving and loyal partner.” Sango delighted in the strength of his arms as he pulled her against him tightly in a warm hug. “Alright, seeing they’ve already met, we’ll drop the plan for a double date and wait to see what happens.” He dropped a heated kiss onto Sango’s shoulder, tugging her loose sleep shirt to one side. “And I know just what we can do while we’re waiting.”

Sango turned in his arms to run her fingers through his dark hair. “You have a one track mind, you know that?” she sighed, as he continued to rain kisses over the silky soft skin he was revealing bit by bit. Miroku grinned roguishly at her.

“If you’re talking about me being a willing disciple, eager to worship at the temple of your body my dearest, then yes, yes I do.”

🔥❤🔥

Kagome smiled as she put away her groceries after chatting to Kaede-baachan in the hallway. It had been almost two weeks since she’d moved in, and she was gradually getting to know everyone. She’d delivered her neighbour gifts a few days after moving in, everyone’s except for Inuyasha that is. She still had his, and was hoping to give it to him in person, but she hadn’t been able to catch him at all.

Wanting to make a good impression, she’d quizzed Sango a little about her neighbours before she’d bought her inexpensive gifts of food and household items. It was a small apartment block, in an older style, with only six apartments on each floor, the narrow building squeezed in between an office block and a pachinko arcade, which her bedroom and living area windows overlooked. Outside, the streets were always full of people, and she found she actually liked the steady background hum of noise, even though she had initially worried it would disturb her, being so different from the quiet suburb where her family’s shrine was. But it felt energising, full of life, and she’d decided she was going to embrace this new adventure with both hands.

Abe-san, an older lady who was her neighbour directly across the hallway, had ‘adopted’ her as soon as she’d found out Kagome came from a shrine family like herself, and had insisted Kagome call her Kaede-baachan. She’d already been there once for tea, and had gone home with the older woman’s recipe for steamed matcha cake to make in her rice cooker.

Hamaguchi Shiori seemed nice, if a little quiet and reserved, but maybe that could be due to her being a bat youkai. Kagome had apologised to her profusely again about the faulty alarm going off when she’d first moved in, but apparently she often wore high quality ear plugs to block out the city noise, and it hadn’t worried her too much.

Abe Kikyou was a relative of Kaede-baachan’s, very career driven and busy, they’d only said hello in passing. She was stunningly beautiful in a very austere way, and made Kagome feel a little nervous. And also a little childish. She doubted Abe-san ever wore fluffy pink cat socks around her apartment when she was home.

Kobayashi Shippou was a university student, very friendly and excitable. He was doing an arts degree majoring in theatre and film studies. She guessed his interest in special effects and lighting was perfect for a kitsune. He’d been quick to tell her about all the best cafes around, and she could already tell he would be a fun friend to have.

All in all, she really liked her new home. It was small, typical of a 1DK apartment, but airy, with lots of storage, and she knew how lucky she was to have it. What were the odds, her needing to find a place in the area when she accepted her teaching position, just as Sango was thinking of moving out with Miroku? It seemed like fate.

The kitchen area was tiny and a bit old, with only a single burner cooktop and no oven, but there were lots of places with cheap take away options nearby, including a 7-11 downstairs on the ground floor. It wasn’t very far to the station, where she could catch a train that stopped only a block away from the elementary school where she taught kindergarten.

She loved her work, she loved the children in her class, a mix of youkai and humans, and the teachers and staff at the school had been very welcoming and supportive. Every day she came home feeling like she’d truly found what she was meant to be doing, after all those years of hard work and study.

Everything was wonderful.

Apart from the horrible feeling that Inuyasha was avoiding her. She hadn’t been sleeping very well, worrying about it, and she didn’t really understand _why_ it was worrying her so much. This wasn’t like her at all. Usually she was quite optimistic and patient, but for some reason she couldn’t let this go. Why did she have this need to get to know him so badly? And why did it hurt that he hadn’t been trying to get to know her too? 

She’d only caught glimpses of him since they’d met, and she wondered again if it was because she possessed reiki. Perhaps she wasn’t keeping as tight a hold on it when he was around as she thought? It made some youkai uncomfortable, especially older ones, harking back to the days when humans and youkai had been taught to fear one another.

All the youkai parents of children in her class had been contacted before she began to let them know she possessed reiki, to make sure that they were comfortable with it, and thankfully there had been no problems. The two other youkai on the floor had no problem with her, and as far as she knew, Inuyasha didn’t seem to have a problem with Kaede-baachan. Maybe she should just let him come to her. He had a very stressful job, after all.

After a few more days of waiting, she gave up on trying to catch him, and left his neighbour gift outside his closed door with a heavy sigh.

🔥❤🔥

He was used to being solitary. Growing up under the jeers of his half-brother and the indifferent eyes of his step-mother had taught him there was safety in loneliness, because asking for affection was rewarded with coldness and neglect. Not physical neglect or abuse, because other beings would be able to sense that, and if there was one thing he’d learned living in his step-mother’s house, it was outward appearances were everything, to her at least. And his appearance came under the heading hardly seen and never heard. The absence of care, of love – he was familiar with that. For a long time it was all he knew.

He had friends now, so he wasn’t totally alone. Jinenji had been his first friend; they were closer than he and his so called step family had ever been. And Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku were friends too of course, after a fashion, as well as the other youkai on the rotating team.

Miroku had been his first human friend. They’d met when Inuyasha had been required to attend counselling through work after a particularly intense rescue, where there had been no survivors, and they’d lost a team mate. Miroku had not been a counsellor at that time, he had still been studying, but he had been the one tasked with calling Inuyasha and harassing him to attend his appointments with the staff psychologist. Despite a rocky start, they’d become firm friends over time.

Sango had moved into the apartment next door and gradually become a good friend too, the only female that he felt comfortable talking to. He’d initially regretted introducing them to each other when it became obvious that Sango liked Miroku. He’d agonised over whether he should warn Sango about Miroku’s shady track record with women over the years. But Miroku had surprised him – he apparently cared for Sango too, and it had made him a better man, eager to be worthy of her. He was pleased for them, even though he’d been disappointed when Sango had told him she was moving out and would no longer be his neighbour.

When his friend Jinenji had found a partner, he’d felt happy for him, and it was true that a very small part of his mind had touched on the idea that if a hanyou like Jinenji could find a partner, perhaps he could too? But he’d dropped the thought just as quickly. Jinenji’s personality was well suited to romance – he was an attentive, kind and thoughtful being, always able to consider others feelings. Where Inuyasha was brash, loud and impulsive, with a bad temper, without even adding the hanyou complication to the mix. Who would want him, really?

He’d decided friendship was enough, more than he’d ever expected growing up really, and that what Jinenji had found was probably never going to happen for him. There were plenty of places nearby where those types of physical urges could be satisfied when his hand failed to suffice. Places with women that didn’t mind who he was as long as he paid up front. Not that he made a habit of it. And Miroku had finally stopped dragging him out to seedy bars with the determination to find his friend a ‘date’.

Now Jinenji had dropped the very possibility he’d always discounted right in his lap. Not just the chance for a long term relationship, but a true mate. He didn’t feel worthy enough. The idea of changing the lens through which he viewed his life was confronting, no matter how intoxicating Higurashi’s scent might be, or how hard he had to resist knocking on her door every time he came home.

At first Inuyasha had tried to avoid her, which wasn’t really all that difficult considering his superior senses and their conflicting work schedules. He didn’t _want_ to keep away from her, but the way his youki had surged like that had rocked him to his core. And after all, Jinenji had just been guessing.

He’d ignored the little note and beautifully wrapped new neighbour gift of shrimp flavoured chips she’d left outside his door, asking if he’d like to catch up sometime soon so they could get to know each other. He’d carried that note around in his pocket for days, savouring the slight trace of her scent on the paper, even though he hadn’t contacted her.

Avoiding her was taking a toll on him though. This morning he was feeling terrible, and not just from physical exhaustion. He hadn’t slept well all week, and not at all last night.

Yesterday afternoon, she’d been leaving her apartment when he came up the stairs after work. As soon as she’d seen him, her face had lit up, like she’d waiting for this moment for days. She’d tried to strike up a conversation, her cheerful and bubbly manner an obvious attempt to hide her nervousness, easy for him to pick up through her scent and rapidly beating heart. The urge to immediately get close to her and soothe her had been almost overwhelming. But had he done that? No.

Instead, he’d acted like a total prick, allowing the anxious thoughts that had been swirling in his head since he’d talked to Jinenji to override his instincts. He’d brushed her off, saying he’d had a busy day, which wasn’t a lie exactly, but the gruff manner in which he’d delivered his words had made her pull back, almost like he’d slapped her. He’d felt her disappointment and hurt like a physical ache.

As soon as he’d closed his door he’d cursed himself, and had then spent the afternoon pacing around his small apartment, debating with himself over whether he should go knock on her door. And then he hadn’t been able to sleep, worrying about her. Why was he so stupid!

This morning, Jinenji’s words kept rolling about in his head, that if she were his true mate she would feel as drawn to him as he did to her. The look on her face yesterday when she’d seen him was like pure sunshine, and then he’d doused that with a few careless words. He’d been able to live with the idea of avoiding her when he was just considering his own thoughts, but was he hurting _her_? Because if she felt as bad as he currently did, he was the biggest, most selfish asshole on the planet.

He sipped his coffee, hardly even tasting it as sat looking aimlessly out his window at the unusually wild December weather – the weather report on the early morning news playing in the background had just announced Tokyo was in for a week of high winds and rain.

The sun was barely above the horizon and he could sense the bitter chill swirling outside through the cold glass of the window pane. He was glad he wasn’t rostered on today and could spend the whole day inside, dressed comfortably in sweatpants and a t-shirt. He had no plans today at all, apart from catching up TV and laundry. Working 24 hour shifts had some benefits; the extra full days off were definitely a perk in his line of work.

His apartment had a direct view down into the street below, and he watched people struggling to make their way towards the station slowly, huddled under umbrellas. His eyes were drawn to a woman further down the crowded street in a bright red jacket. She struggled as a huge gust of wind turned her pink umbrella inside out, breaking the spokes and making it useless. Her long dark hair was whipped about her face violently by the bitter wind, and her shoulders slumped in defeat as she stepped out of the broad current of pedestrians making their way towards the station to shove the broken umbrella in a nearby bin. She hunched her shoulders against the driving rain, her dark hair quickly getting drenched without the protection of an umbrella. 

Before he knew it he’d leapt from his seat and had a spare umbrella in his hand, bounding down the stairs. He didn’t know how he knew it was _her_ , he just did. And the lies that he’d been telling himself - that he had been mistaken about their connection, that things were better off as they were and that he could keep away from her, that she wouldn’t want him once she got to really know him and it was all for the best, that he didn’t need her or want her - those lies were fast becoming unravelled.

🔥❤🔥

Kagome hunched her shoulders against the cold, the rain pouring down and trickling off her sodden hair, working its way underneath the collar of her puffer jacket which was fast becoming waterlogged.

She’d left for work early, the winter grey sky still dark, so she could set up extra indoor art and craft activities for her students as there would definitely be no outside play today. Her umbrella failing her was the last straw in an unhappy week, and she had half a mind to go back home and hide under her quilt to shut out the world. But she couldn’t do that, no matter how wet and cold and tired she was. Her colleagues were depending on her, parents were depending on her to teach their children, and she adored her students. And quite frankly, she didn’t have the energy it would take to move against the human tide of people heading towards the station.

If she’d slept better she’d probably be able to shrug this mishap off with a laugh, but she felt wretched. After finally speaking again to him yesterday, it seemed very clear that Takahashi-san wasn’t interested in her _at all_ , maybe not even as a friend, despite Sango-chan’s encouragement. It wasn’t his fault. He was a youkai, beautiful and ethereal, and she was just a boring run of the mill human girl who happened to be his neighbour. She’d mistaken his kindness for interest, so this heartache was her own fault.

Their interaction last night had shown her very plainly that he wanted to keep a polite wall up between them. She would respect that, and she would back off and limit herself to polite greetings. But it _hurt_. It really did. Hurt as much as if they’d actually been in a relationship and he had broken it off suddenly without warning. Her chest ached, as if it were possible for her heart to be actually broken. Was it her? Was it because he could sense her reiki? Was she turning into some kind of crazy stalker, fixating on her hot neighbour? She sighed deeply, pausing on the street corner with the rest of the crowd as she waited for the crossing light to change, unable to remember the last time she’d felt so utterly miserable.

Kagome didn’t even notice that the rain had stopped falling onto her face for a few moments, so distracted by her own unhappy thoughts. And then she’d noticed _him_ , holding a large red umbrella over her, his own long hair now wringing wet, his amber eyes blinking away the rain that ran in rivulets down his face.

Takahashi-san was hardly dressed for the weather, wearing only red trackpants and a white t-shirt which were now soaked and clinging to his skin, dripping onto his bare feet, but his attention seemed to be totally focused on her. The concern in his expression increased as she shivered suddenly, and his youki reached out to her, enveloping her like a warm hug, a protection against the cold. It was the total opposite of yesterday.

“Higurashi, you’re gonna get sick if you stay out here. We need to get you somewhere warm and dry.”

All her previous sadness evaporated instantly. And she smiled. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t care that she looked like a mess. She didn’t care that she’d have damp hair for the rest of the morning while she taught her students. She didn’t even care that her cracked rain boot had let water in and her sock was soggy again and she wasn’t sure if she had a spare pair at the school. She no longer cared that he’d hurt her yesterday. He was here _now_ , appearing out of nowhere with an umbrella because he cared that she was getting wet.

“Call me Kagome.”

The words had burst out of her mouth without any thought behind them, and she wanted to sink into a puddle in embarrassment, dropping her eyes downwards to his bare feet, no longer game to look him in the eye.

“Only if you call me Inuyasha.”

She looked back up at him and smiled again.

“Were you walking to the station… Kagome?” he asked hesitantly. She nodded shyly. “I’ll walk with you then.”

Kagome began to protest, but he shrugged.

“It’s only a coupla blocks, and I need to keep you dry so you don’t get sick. You’re going to work and you’ll be in those clothes all day – I can just go back home and get changed.”

“Okay. Thank you. Inuyasha-kun.”

The fanged grin he gave her as she tried out his name for the first time warmed her even more.

When they reached the station he insisted she take his umbrella with her to work in case it was still raining when she walked home. His fingers brushed against hers when he handed over the umbrella, and she was baffled and amused by his sudden exasperation, chastising her for not wearing gloves, fussing and rubbing her cold fingers. He bought her a take away hot chocolate at the café by the entrance to the station so she’d have something warm to hold on the train, despite her protests that it wasn’t necessary. By the time they said goodbye, even though it was still pouring outside, and her hair was still dripping icy water down her neck, Kagome had never felt warmer.

🔥❤🔥

The soft tap on his door late that afternoon puzzled him, because he wasn’t expecting anyone. But as soon as he scented the air and realised who it was, he was there in a flash. Kagome was still dressed in her jacket and work clothes, hair windswept with rain curls and cheeks and nose made ruddy by the cold air. One hand was poised to knock on his door again, the other was clutching his red umbrella. She was beautiful.

“Kagome! Did you want to come in? You look cold - I could make you a hot drink?”

He could see the conflicted expression on her face – she obviously wanted to, but was hesitant due to her natural politeness. Or perhaps because she had no idea what to make of him when only a day ago he’d been ignoring her like a total fucking prick. Probably the latter.

“Please Kagome” he asked quietly, “it would make me feel better.”

“I can’t come in because my socks are wet”, she blurted, a extra blush rising to her cheeks. “I just wanted to return your umbrella before I went home.” Her eyes met his hesitantly. “But if you really would like me to visit, I’ll go and get dry first and then come back.”

“It’s not necessary, but if it would make you feel more comfortable, go right ahead.”

She smiled, handing back his umbrella, completely dry and tightly furled, looking much neater than the usual haphazard way he left it.

“Alright. I’ll be back soon.”

When she returned and tapped on the door gently, he was pleased to see she was dressed much more comfortably in leggings and an oversized jumper, and he almost snorted when she slipped off her shoes. Her socks were obnoxiously pink and fluffy, complete with cat faces that resembled Buyo on the toes.

“Nice socks”, he grinned.

“Thank you, they’re my favourites”, she said primly, then giggled, pointing her toe to show them off. “It’s nice to have warm feet – my rain boots are old and one of them keeps letting in water. I need to buy a new pair.”

He coughed, just managing to swallow down a fervent offer to buy her a new pair of boots as soon as the shops opened tomorrow before it slipped past his lips. Because that was insane. Even if this whole true mate thing was a reality, he couldn’t just _smother_ her.

He was still getting over the embarrassment of the way he’d grabbed her hands this morning. Her fingers had been icy cold, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from trying to warm them. Besides, it wasn’t like having leaky shoes was going to harm her, for fuck’s sake, no matter what his instincts thought on the matter, yowling at him to immediately see to her needs. She was just making conversation, not expecting him to save her from having damp feet, and he needed to fucking _get a grip._

“Please, sit down, make yourself comfortable”, he said, indicating the floor cushions near the small round chabudai. “So, I’m afraid I’m not the best host. I can offer filter coffee or genmaicha or some hot chocolate from when Sango used to come over, but it hasn’t been opened in a while, and I don’t know if that kind of stuff goes off, so-“

“The tea will be fine Inuyasha-kun.”

Inuyasha spooned the roasted rice tea into his teapot and poured the boiling water over, savouring the nutty scent. Regular sencha was too acidic to his taste, but he enjoyed genmaicha every now and then, although he preferred coffee most mornings.

Sango had bought him the small red side handled teapot and cups as a gift when she’d moved out, as her way of letting him know that she would still visit to chat and drink tea with him, even after moving in with Miroku. It was a very thoughtful gift, and it had set his mind at ease about their friendship. Now he was proud to have something nice to serve tea to Kagome in, when usually he would have just plonked any old mug down on the table.

Kagome watched silently as he carried a tray with the teapot, cups and a plate of packaged senbei crackers to the table, then poured the tea, alternating between the cups so the flavour was evenly distributed. He looked so stiff and serious, and she got the distinct impression that he didn’t have guests in his home very often. Kagome smiled gently as he placed a teacup in front of her.

“Thank you Inuyasha-kun.”

She sipped her tea slowly, her eyes tracing the grain in the dark stained wood of the table top. She was trying to find the right way to ask the question she wanted to, and it felt like a balloon expanding inside her chest. Pretty soon she wouldn’t be able to keep back the pressure of the words wanting to explode from behind her teeth. She wiggled sideways on the zabuton, sitting on her bottom with her legs to one side to make herself more comfortable, and put down her half empty tea cup with a sigh.

“Whatever it is you wanna say, just spit it out”, Inuyasha mumbled, his eyes averted.

“Is… is it my reiki that makes you want to stay away from me?” she blurted, unable to keep in the question in any longer now that Inuyasha had broken the ice.

She gripped her fingers together tightly, twisting them as she struggled not to tear up, keeping her eyes focused downwards. “I’m not trained well, as it was never my intention to become a miko. I only ever helped out at the family shrine, and I’ve never learnt to use my reiki to purify or anything like that. And I’ve tried to keep it pulled away from you, because I didn’t want to bother you or make you feel uncomfortable, but obviously I’ve been doing it very badly. I promise I’d _never_ want to hurt you or any other youkai Inuyasha! I’ll get better at keeping it in, I promise! I’ll talk to-“ Inuyasha leaned over the table to place his hands over hers, rubbing his thumbs soothingly against her skin.

“Kagome! Hey, hey, shush for a moment, let’s back this truck up. What on earth gave you the impression that it was your reiki that was bothering me?”

“That first day”, she sniffed. “You left. It felt like you were reaching out to me, and then you left and you looked like you couldn’t wait to get away from me. And then after that, I could tell you were avoiding me, and then when we finally did speak you gave the impression that you weren’t comfortable around me at all, but then this morning you-“

“It’s nothin’ to do with you!” he huffed, looking off to one side as he squeezed her fingers gently. “Well it is, but it’s nothin’ that’s _your_ fault, okay?” Inuyasha took a deep breath.

“I think I need to explain somethin’. I’m not a full youkai, Kagome, I’m hanyou. My mother was human, my father a very powerful Inuyoukai. My parents died when I was only young and it was made very clear to me that bein’ what I am was an inconvenience to everyone in general, so I’m not very good at… whatever this is. The truth is Kagome that I _like_ you, I liked you as soon as I met you. But then I panicked. And I’m so sorry if I hurt your feelings. I’m just stupid and don’t know any better. Just a dumb hanyou who thought he’d never find anyone as amazing as you.”

Kagome sniffed again, her teary eyes still focused downwards at Inuyasha’s hands over hers.

“Hey, look at me. Kagome? Could you show me your reiki? You’ve actually been very good at hidin’ it you know. Please?”

Kagome gave a deep heartfelt sigh, and mentally let go, looking up at Inuyasha’s face as she did so, ready to pull her reiki back the moment he showed any discomfort. He smiled, and stroked her hands softly.

“It feels warm, kinda like your pink fluffy socks. It suits you.”

Kagome gave a sigh of relief, smiling as she blinked away her tears. There it was again, his youki stroking against her soothingly, almost as warm as his hands around hers. 

“Inuyasha”, she whispered, smiling as a final tear rolled down her cheek. “I like you too.”

🔥❤🔥

Inuyasha dragged himself up the stairs. It had been a harrowing twenty four hours at work, with three major call outs, some injuries, but thankfully, no fatalities. He’d had very little sleep, not that he needed it as much as the human members of the fire crew that were rostered on at the same time, but still, he was exhausted. He was nearly home, and he planned on kicking off his shoes and then flopping directly onto his futon. Just a little bit further…

A smell tickled his nose, deep and rich. Was that pork broth? He almost floated up the last few flights of stairs.

Kagome’s door was wide open, and the smell was almost beckoning him in. He stood in the hallway, hovering in the space between his doorway and hers, feeling uncertain. He was exhausted, his bed was calling him, but the combined scent of pork broth and Kagome was like a siren’s song.

Over the last few days they’d been tip toeing around each other, both wanting more, both hesitant. Nearly every day they chatted in the hallway, a neutral space between their apartments, keeping their conversation as quiet as possible so they didn’t disturb their neighbours.

He wanted to get to know her better before he dropped the bombshell of them being true mates, wanted them to like each other and have a solid foundation beforehand, but it was difficult keeping things slow. He’d grown to love the feel of her reiki brushing against his skin as they talked, feeling her touch even though they weren’t in physical contact. He could feel that aura reaching out towards him now, like a welcome home.

“Inuyasha?”

Kagome took one look at the hanyou standing in the hallway, backlit by the garish fluroescent strip lighting, and her heart almost melted.

He wasn’t hiding from her anymore. They’d spoken more often in the last few days, and there was no hiding their mutual attraction, both of them feeling it, but neither brave enough to speak more of it out loud. Even though they were getting closer, it still felt like he was holding something back, and it niggled at her, worried her. But then, Sango had said he was a hard nut to crack, so maybe she should just be patient.

He’d told her he was going on a twenty four hour shift the day before yesterday so that she would know why he wasn’t around, and she’d wanted to have the ramen prepared so he didn’t have to worry about cooking the next day and could just concentrate on resting. She’d purchased an electronic pressure cooker yesterday especially to create her mother’s tonkotsu broth from scratch.

He looked exhausted, one hand loosely gripping his backpack, the other arm limply hanging by his side. His golden red-rimmed eyes blinked at her tiredly. Even though he was wearing a clean uniform, a navy button down shirt and pants with black boots, and had obviously showered judging by the slightly damp bun his hair was piled up in, he still had a slight scent of smoke about him.

Moving into the hallway, she gently took his empty hand in both of hers, tugging on it slightly to move him into her apartment.

“Kagome?”

“I just made ramen for myself. I was going to freeze some broth and make some for you tomorrow, but you look like you could use something hot right now.” She closed her front door, gently easing the heavy backpack off his shoulder to the floor in the genkan, then pulled him into her living area and over to her sofa.

“Kagome my shoes, I’ll get your floor dirty.”

“Shush. Sit down.”

He slumped down on the sofa, watching bemusedly as Kagome undid the laces on his boots and tugged them off his aching feet, then guided his legs under the kotatsu quilt. He sighed, feeling the warmth on his toes, the heat helping his aching legs. He could feel Buyou rubbing up against his calf, then settling down near his feet.

“Can I get you something to drink? Beer, tea, water?”

“Just water is fine. Kagome, you don’t have to-“

“Shush. It’ll be ready soon. Just rest and close your eyes if you want. You look like you’re gonna fall down any moment, but you’ll feel better if you have something warm in your stomach after working so hard and being outside in that wind.”

The gale outside chose that moment to rattle Kagome’s window, rain pattering against the glass. An icy tendril of air found its way through a small crevice to make the flames on the lightly scented candles on a small table near her windowsill dance and gutter, and Kagome involuntarily shivered.

“Not a good night to be outside for anyone.”

Inuyasha watched tiredly as she brought him a glass of water, then pattered about her small kitchen space. She looked adorable to him, dressed in cosy flannel pyjamas, pale blue, with those pink cat socks on her feet, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.

He could smell the heated tonkotsu broth, and then perhaps he’d dozed off momentarily, because now he could smell ginger and garlic, egg – wait was that chashu? His mouth began to water as he watched her drop finely diced salted pork fat and sesame seeds into the pot containing the broth, whisking it through, then ladling the soup onto the bowls of ramen she had prepared.

Kagome carried the two steaming bowls carefully on a tray, one bowl twice the size of the other. She sat down, tucking her feet under the kotatsu, and slid the largest bowl over to him, along with chopsticks and a soup spoon.

“Itadakimasu”, he muttered, inhaling the complex aroma deeply with delight before breaking his egg slightly, pleased with the perfectly poached golden centre. He picked up a piece of chasu pork with his chopsticks, dipping it in the richly hued yolk, and almost moaned at the melt in the mouth texture of the meat.

“Is it okay?” He could sense the nervousness coming off her in waves, but she had no need to worry.

“Okay?” He picked up the spoon and slurped a mouthful of broth, his eyes closing, ears twitching. He’d been to a lot of ramen places in his time, but this…

“Kagome, it’s so fuckin’ good I could almost cry.”

His eyes immediately opened wide when he realised what he’d said, his head whipping just in time to see Kagome head tip back as she snorted with laughter, her eyes crinkling up and mouth wide with mirth. He watched her laugh, unable to stop himself grinning widely at her despite his fatigue. She was adorable, this woman that his soul seemed to have decided on, her giggles shaking the sofa, one of her sock clad feet brushing against his under the table as she stretched her legs out in glee.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it”, she said as she finally got her giggles under control. “It’s my mother’s recipe. I could tell you how to make it…” her mouth twitched in amusement, “but then I’d have to kill you.”

Inuyasha snorted, then went eagerly back to his own bowl, tackling it like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Kagome drank a spoonful of her own broth, then slurped down some noodles.

“I still can’t make it quite as well as Mama can, but I’m getting better.”

Inuyasha blinked at her, then turned his attention back to his own bowl, shaking his head in disagreement.

“I don’t think anyone could make this better. Because I can taste _you_ in it.”

“Huh?”

Inuyasha went back over what he’d just said and cringed. He was exhausted, and words were just dribbling out of his mouth without any censure on his part.

“It’s good Kagome, don’t worry about it.”

He slurped down another large mouthful of noodles. Maybe if he kept his mouth full, he could stop himself saying anything else bizarre that he would have to try and explain.

Kagome stirred her noodles around with her chopsticks, taking small bites of pork and egg. She watched with fond amusement as Inuyasha slurped his way through the ramen with visible enjoyment, the sight warming her heart. He was clearly exhausted, and she shouldn’t try and push for information when he was like this, but she really wanted to know. The more they’d spoken, the stronger the connection she’d felt. It was almost like their reiki and youki were intertwining, she could feel it even now, his sleepily moving around hers in a sluggish but comforting embrace.

She was halfway through her own bowl when Inuyasha had finished his, tipping it up to his mouth to get the last few drops of broth, then placing it down on the table top with a satisfied sigh.

“That was so good. I can’t believe I said you were a terrible cook when we first met.” Kagome snorted.

“The look on your face when I pretended to be offended. Priceless”, she giggled.

Inuyasha flopped his head back on the sofa and closed his eyes, letting his arms and legs go lax.

“See, this is why I don’t have a katotsu”, he murmured sleepily, looking happy and content. “I’d be as fat and lazy as Buyo. Especially with you around, bringin’ me food like that, and your scent and your reiki all cosyin’ up to me an-“

“So you feel it too Inuyasha?” She watched as Inuyasha lifted his head again, the sleepy expression gone.

“I can feel the way your youki touches me. Please say you feel it too so I know I’m not going crazy!” Kagome blurted.

Inuyasha stared at her open mouthed for a moment, and then sighed, patting the spot on the sofa next to him.

“Kagome. C’mere.” Kagome moved to sit beside him, turning slightly so that she could see his expression, her eyes wide. He reached out to stroke her cheek gently.

“I’ve wanted to talk to you about this for days, but I didn’t quite know how to bring it up, and I wanted to give you the chance to get to know me a little better beforehand. What do you know about the concept of youkai mates?”

“I only know that it’s a connection, kind of like the red thread of fate.” Inuyasha blinked at her in puzzlement. “You haven’t heard of that before?” she asked. He shook his head. “Hold out your hand for me.”

Resting his much larger hand in one of hers, Kagome spoke softly, stroking his palm with her fingers.

“Many people believe in the red thread of fate. Sometimes it’s a romantic connection, sometimes one of deep friendship, but two people connected in this way are bound together by the gods and are destined to meet, no matter how far apart they live, or how different they are. Sometimes the string can be stretched or tangled, which will delay the meeting, but the tie will never break. And when they do finally meet, it will affect them profoundly. Once they have met, things will never be the same.”

She gazed up at Inuyasha, and nearly gasped at the way he was looking at her, his golden eyes almost molten. Kagome’s lips trembled at the heat in his expression, unable to look away. She stroked Inuyasha’s pinkie finger with her own, her nail dragging gently over his skin, and both of them gasped at the contact as she hooked her pinkie around his.

“There is an artery that connects this finger directly to your heart, a red thread that continues out of your body and out into the world, connecting you to other people you are fated to meet, connecting your heart directly to theirs.”

She pressed her other hand directly over Inuyasha’s chest, able to feel the rapid thumping against her palm. Her voice shook a little as she spoke. “Do you believe we were fated to meet, Inuyasha?”

  
  


In answer, he tugged her forward using the connection between their fingers and their lips met softly for the first time.

“I do believe it”, he whispered, his forehead resting against hers. “My soul believed it the moment I met you, it was just the rest of me that doubted you were meant for me.”

“Does the rest of you believe it now?” Kagome asked softly. He answered her with another kiss.

“It does, and I promise, I will never doubt again.”

He pulled her closer, eager to feel the warmth of her body against his. Her lips were so soft, plush against his as he sipped at them, flavoured by ramen and a subtle sweetness. It was probably from a lip gloss she’d been wearing earlier in the day, but he chose to believe that it was her own sweet nature affecting the taste of her skin. So soft. So sweet.

He licked at the corner of her mouth and was surprised and delighted when she opened her lips to him, her own tongue shyly stroking against his and then pulling away. It was like a teasing game, a soft give and take, which gradually built in heat. Before he knew it, Kagome was in his lap, her legs either side of his, her panting whimpers and rapid heartbeat fueling his own want.

His hands drifted downwards over her back, mapping out the shape of her body hidden by the soft blue pyjamas she was wearing, delighting in the flare of her hips, the decadent curve of her bottom cheeks. He squeezed his fingers softly into the giving flesh and she moaned into his mouth, dropping her hips to grind against him, and he grunted, feeling the pressure of her weight add to the needy insistent ache in his groin.

His hands travelled upwards again, underneath her pyjama top, traversing the soft skin of her back, sliding up and down her spine, then drifting out sideways to trace lightly against the side of her breasts. Her sudden gasp and the spike in her scent had him reeling, and he dropped his lips to her throat, licking a wet trail up the ivory skin like he’d wanted to the first day they met. He didn’t even have to tug on her hair to have her tilt her head back, she offered herself to him willingly.

His mouth worked upwards again, nibbling at her chin, licking at her lips, as his hands moved to her front, traversing the soft expanse of her belly as Kagome rocked against him, her own fingers pulling against his scalp. Then they moved upwards, softly stroking against the soft hair inside his ears and he wanted to howl, his own hips bucking in response to her touch.

There was a sleepy voice in the back of his mind telling him that he needed to slow down, but he didn’t want to listen to it.

For the first time in his life his physical desire was accompanied by an emotional connection and it made everything feel so much more intense, so much better. This wasn’t some girl he’d just met that he held in his arms, with both of them selfishly using each other to reach their own pleasure, it was _Kagome_. He wanted to please her, wanted to learn what made her shudder and moan, wanted to bring her to the brink and down the other side and then hold her in his arms and never let her go. The urge to make her his mate was almost overpowering. And then he remembered. He groaned, pulling back from Kagome slightly. It was possibly the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.

“Koishii”, he whispered gently against her lips as her hands tangled in his hair, desperately trying to pull his mouth back to hers as he resisted. “Slowly is better. I’m not going anywhere.”

Kagome gave a frustrated whimper and then tucked her head in against his neck, her panting breaths hot against his throat. He swallowed, cursing his previous inability to believe he was destined for anything like this and wishing he’d found out more from Jinenji about true mates, because his own knowledge was sadly lacking, and it fucking sucked. He hated that he’d had to disappoint her.

“Inuyasha”, she said softly, hiding her face in the collar of his shirt. “I don’t usually… I mean I’m sorry to be so forward. What must you think of me?” The scent of her sudden embarrassment marred the sweetness of her usual aura, and instantly his hand was there, stroking her hair, his youki surrounding her as she drew deep breaths to calm herself.

“Don’t you dare feel embarrassed Kagome”, he said, dropping a kiss to her hair. “I was thinkin’ that you wanted me just as much as I wanted you, and that is the most _amazing_ thing. The only reason I stopped is that you are special to me, and I don’t wanna fuck that up.” He gently pulled her face away from his neck so he could see her expression. “I think, no fuck it, I _know_ we are true mates.”

“What is a true mate?” Her pupils were still dilated with desire, her soft lips swollen and stung with kisses, and he had to hold himself back from immediately kissing her again.

“Here, turn around and get comfy, so I can explain.” He settled her so she was sitting in his lap, her head leaning against his shoulder, and legs curled up on his thighs. He pulled her in tightly against him, loving the weight of her in his lap.

“A youkai can choose a mate and that’s kinda like a human marriage. Just like human marriages, sometimes they’re done to unite two families for business or political reasons, but mostly these days it’s for love. They love and care for each other just like a human couple does, raise their children together and all that stuff. That’s what happens for most. But sometimes, a youkai will find their true mate, which sounds very similar to that red thread thing you were telling me about.”

He couldn’t help the contented rumble in his chest when Kagome snuggled into him even more, her fingers curling around a hank of silver hair that had escaped from the messy bun low on his neck. “If a youkai finds their true mate, their youki will be so attuned that it will want to become one, and they’ll form a soul bond.”

Kagome opened her mouth to speak and Inuyasha grinned down at her.

“Now before ya say it, I know you’re not youkai. But you _are_ a reiki user, and someone explained to me recently that youki and reiki are both quite similar in some ways. That’s why I think you are my true mate. I’ve never had my youki want to be in contact with another so much, and I love the way your reiki touches me. But I don’t know much more about it than that, because I never expected to find anyone.” Kagome’s hands stilled from playing with the ends of his hair, and she looked up at him in surprise.

“You think a human and a youkai can form a soul bond?” she asked softly, her eyes wide. “And you would want that with me?”

“I know they can and I do”, he smiled, gently stroking her nose with his forefinger. “My friend Jinenji’s mate is human. Apparently she has some youkai back in her ancestry somewhere, which meant she had enough latent youki in her to attract Jinenji’s. It’s very rare, but it’s possible. I don’t know if my parents were soul bonded. I’d like to think they were, but they died before I was old enough to find out any of that stuff.”

“So that’s why you said to slow down?” Kagome said, dropping her eyes again.

“It was hard for me too”, Inuyasha chuckled, bouncing her lightly in his lap. “You came so close to losing that pyjama top.” Kagome wriggled in his lap again, her scent drifting up towards his nose. “Fuck koishii, cut that out, I’m tryin’ to be _good_ here.”

“Does that mean we can’t kiss anymore?” she pouted, settling against him again.

“Oh we _can_ ”, he purred. But until I find out more about how the bonding is done, I just wanna be cautious. All my friend said was it was private.”

“Can I still touch your ears?”

“Um”, he coughed, remembering the way her touch had felt like a lightning strike straight to his cock. That’s…”

“Just a teeny bit?”

“Only if you’re prepared to bear the consequences of your actions.” Kagome sighed.

“Okay, I won’t tease you any more.” She reached up to stroke his cheek. “And you should go to bed, I haven’t forgotten how tired you are Inuyasha. Will you sleep okay?” She yawned herself, her own tiredness unable to be pushed away any longer.

“The only way I would sleep better is if you were with me” he said, his eyes tired but grin cheeky. “But I think I need to find out more first, because you’re way too tempting.”

Kagome looked down at her blue flannel pyjamas in disbelief.

“Even in these?”

“Even in those.” With a groan he heaved himself upwards from the low sofa, shuffling towards the doorway that led to her hall and genkan. “Are you gonna go to bed too?” She nodded following him to the hall. He didn’t even bother to put his boots back on, but just picked them up to carry them the few steps to his apartment.

“I just need to put some things away in the kitchen, and then I’ll be going straight to bed.”

“Hmm.” He bent down to press a heartfelt kiss to her forehead. “Sweet dreams then Kagome.”

“Sweet dreams Yasha-kun.” He grinned at the nickname.

“Can you do me a favour? Your bedroom shares the same wall as mine. Can you tap on the wall for me to say goodnight when you get into bed? That way I’ll know you’re all tucked up and not sitting up alone.” Her smile was like a sunbeam.

“I can do that.”

Inuyasha shouldered his backpack and backed away from Kagome’s apartment to his own doorway, almost stumbling over, his body made clumsy by a mixture of elation and exhaustion, smiling at her as she waved and then closed her own door. Dumping his bag and boots messily in the genkan, he brushed his teeth and then looked in his drawer for a clean pair of boxers to wear to bed, only then remembering he hadn’t got around to doing laundry like he’d planned.

The bright yellow pair that Kouga had given him mocked him silently from the top of his chest of drawers where he’d dumped them. It was these, or go naked. With a sigh, he grabbed them and slid them on. Nothing could break his good mood tonight. At least they were comfy.

Making short work of pulling out his futon, he tossed the quilt over the top and snuggled in, then turned when he heard three slight tap on the wall next to him. With a sleepy smile he tapped three times back, then drifted off almost immediately.

🔥❤🔥

The third time it happened started out much like the first.

The high pitched wail of a smoke alarm woke him from a sound sleep, and it took him a few moments to work out what was happening. Groggily he concentrated, realising that the sound was coming from Kagome’s apartment. Was her alarm still broken? No wait, hadn’t he taken the battery out? Had she got her alarm fixed? It sounded different, a lot quieter. Then he remembered she’d said the technicians weren’t able to come until New Year. He lay there for a moment, trying to get his brain back online.

And then, all of a sudden, it wasn’t like the other times. The moment the acrid stench of smoke hit his nostrils, he threw himself out of bed and out into the hallway, and began banging on Kagome’s door.

“Kagome! KAGOME!” He could hear Buyo yowling, and the crackling of flames. Kaede stuck her head out of her apartment door. Shippou and Shiori were already in the hallway, and Kikiyou was opening her own door, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“What’s going on Inuyasha? Is Kagome-chan okay?”

“There’s a fire, I can smell it, but Kagome’s not openin’ her door”, he answered frantically. “Start banging on everyone else’s doors and tell ‘em to get out, I’ll get Kagome.”

He could hear Shippou ushering everyone downstairs, helping Kaede-baaba to move quickly. Shiori was already on the floor below, banging on doors and he could hear Kikyou’s voice echoing in the stair well, reporting the fire. He was grateful that everyone else was accounted for – now he could concentrate totally on Kagome.

Inuyasha banged on her door one more time, then placed his palm against it, testing the temperature. The door wasn’t hot, so it was possible the fire hadn’t had a chance to fully take hold yet. With a grunt he shouldered it open, the lock splintering away from the wood of the doorframe.

  
  


The narrow hallway was beginning to fill with smoke, and he placed his hand on the closed door to the living area. It was much warmer, so he knew this room was already filling with smoke, but he couldn’t risk waiting for the fire crew. Not knowing who was behind that door.

The moment he opened it, smoke began billowing out the doorway, getting in his eyes and up his nose. It was difficult to see anything, but he could hear Buyo hissing and yowling nearby. Flames crackled over the window, the closed curtains already fully ablaze, and he knew he only had seconds to be able to find Kagome and get her out before the room would be too smoke filled to search for her without breathing apparatus.

The slightly metallic scent of carbon monoxide in the air was irritating his nose, making him want to sneeze, and causing an almost instant headache. Inuyasha stretched his youki out into the room, desperate to find Kagome before she breathed in a fatal amount. There was no answering caress from her reiki, but he was sure she was close by. Dropping to his stomach, he crawled forwards towards the sound of Buyo, whose yowls were growing fainter.

His hands reached out in the darkness, feeling around over the floor, and finally his fingers brushed against soft skin, a small hand that he’d held in his own what felt like only moments ago, resting limply against the wooden floorboards. He dragged her towards him across the floor as he kept low to avoid breathing in the superheated air, dragging her first with just one arm and then the other, her flannel pyjamas sliding easily over the sealed wooden floorboards.

Buyo came with her, sprawled on her back, still spitting and coughing, and then he had them safely out into her hallway and into his arms.

He shut the door to her living area to slow the fire’s spread and then carried her out of her apartment, two fingers on her throat, frantically feeling for a pulse, his cheek held close to her mouth so he could feel if she were breathing. He’d been unable to hear whether her heart was beating over the roar of the flames and his own coughing as his body fought to get clean air into his lungs. He could have cried in relief when he felt it beating steadily.

Carrying Kagome carefully down the stair well, with Buyo placed on her stomach, he tried not to jostle her too much, tried not to think too much. This was the first time he’d been on the other side of the situation, where a loved one of his was threatened by fire and he didn’t know how to feel.

He could hear the wail of a fire engine siren, and he hoped an ambulance had been called too. Kagome was pale, and the sooty residue under her nostrils told him that she’d breathed in way too much smoke for a human before she’d been woken by the alarm and tried to make it to the door. He was so thankful that she’d taken his advice and bought a cheap replacement alarm to keep her safe until the mains one could be fixed. He didn’t want to dwell on what would have happened if she hadn’t. He’d been so tired, by the time he’d woken up to the scent of smoke, it probably would have been too late.

Inuyasha made his way across the road to the opposite footpath where the rest of the residents were waiting anxiously. He sat down on the footpath, tilting Kagome’s head back to ensure her airway was straight and the maximum amout of air was getting into her lungs. Moments later, the fire truck arrived, and thankfully, a motorcyle paramedic.

“Anyone injured?” the paramedic called out as he approached them. Kaede, Shippou, Shiori and Kikyou had crowded around him anxiously, worried about Kagome, but they moved back as soon as they saw the medic, wanting to give him space to move. Kaede lifted Buyo off Kagome’s stomach gently, cradling him in her arms and making soothing sounds as the cat coughed and spluttered.

“She needs oxygen”, Inuyasha said, as the paramedic opened the pannier on the side of his bike, pulling out his kit. “I could scent carbon monoxide in the air when I pulled her out, and the room had already filled with smoke.” The human paramedic looked at him in puzzlement. Inuyasha tapped his nose. “Inuyoukai. I’m an off duty fire fighter, with Nakano – that’s probably part of my team across the street.”

“How long has she been unconscious for, do you know?” asked the paramedic, attaching an oximeter to Kagome’s finger, and slipping a mask over her face, noting the smudge of soot under her nose. Inuyasha listened to the soft hiss of oxygen as Kagome breathed in and out, trying to calm his own breathing now that the adrenaline rush was over.

“She’s been unconscious for at least three minutes or so, I’m not for how much longer before that. I found her near the door to her hallway, so she was conscious when she was trying to get out.”

“Did she stop breathing at any point in time?”

“Not as far as I know”, Inuyasha said hoarsely, supporting her loosely in his arms to allow the paramedic to do his obs, looking down at her pale face, desperately wanting to squeeze her to him as tightly as he could, but knowing that was the exact opposite of what she needed right now. Another small feline cough from behind him reminded him of who the real hero in this situation was.

“Hey, do you have a spare mask? I wouldn’t have found her in time if it wasn’t for her cat. He stayed with her, and he sounds like he could use it.” The paramedic blinked at him and then grinned.

“I think we can do that.”

🔥❤🔥

By the time the ambulance arrived to back up the paramedic, the fire was out. Kouga jogged to the other side of the street to find Inuyasha talking quietly to a dark haired woman wearing blue pyjamas on a stretcher, an oxygen mask obscuring most of her features. But there was no way to mistake the way the two were looking at each other, Inuyasha stroking the woman’s dark hair back from her face as the paramedics got her settled and filled in paperwork. Kouga grinned. Ah man, this was gonna be _good_. He lived for this kinda thing. And Ayame was gonna love it.

He tapped Inuyasha lightly on the shoulder.

“Hey Inuyasha, it’s all good. Not much damage apart from the smoke and some charring around the window frame, along with a broken window. No major structural damage. She should be able to move back in after it’s properly cleaned. You could probably recommend the company we usually suggest.”

Inuyasha nodded to indicate he’d heard, but didn’t look away from the woman on the stretcher.

“And I’m glad the boxers worked Hot Dog. No need to thank me, just glad I could help out.”

Inuyasha glanced down suddenly, as if he had just realised that he’d spent the last hour standing in the street in nothing but a pair of yellow boxer shorts covered in flames and chilis. The woman on the stretcher snorted then attempted to laugh, which caused her to cough. Inuyasha helped her to sit more upright and rubbed her back soothingly as she coughed and spluttered, still trying to laugh, all the while glaring at Kouga, who grinned at him like all his birthdays had come at once. And he’d had _lots_ of birthdays. 

“Shut. Up. Fuckin’ Ōkami.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading - this ended up being a LOT longer than I'd planned! I think it may have room in it for one more part, if people like this AU. If you'd like to read more about Heart and Soul InuKag, please let me know in the comments!


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